5 Awesome April Fool’s Day 2025 Campaigns That Blurred the Line Between Genius and Prank

The tradition of pulling pranks on people on April Fool’s Day might trace its origins to the 15th century. However, these days, it’s more of a bonafide marketing tradition, mainly used by brands to put themselves under the spotlight. And it was no different this year.

So, here we are with 5 wonderful April Fool’s Day 2025 campaigns that blurred the lie between reality and pranks to great effect.

1. Duolingo: Carnival Cruise Line

Language learning app Duolingo has made it an annual ritual to dish out funny pranks year after year on April Fool’s Day and it’s back this year with yet another one- the Carnival Cruise Line!

Duolingo teamed up with cruise line Carnival to offer users the trip of a lifetime— a five-year global voyage at sea with full language immersion, cultural exploration, and enough shrimp for you to possibly drown yourself in! But there’s a catch— if you don’t keep up with your language lessons, the Duolingo owl will not let you live in peace!

Don’t feel up to it? Well, if five years sounds like a long time to be at sea, you could simply opt for the free month of Super Duolingo, special offers on a shorter Carnival cruise, or a piece of the Duolingo World Cruise merch.

Honestly, anything that helps me avoid the bloody owl will do!

2. Lipton Iced Tea: Rest in Peach

Lipton Iced Tea was a bit early with its April Fool’s Day campaign this year as it announced the discontinuation of its popular Peach Iced Tea flavor on March 18 in a social media post titled ‘Rest in Peach’.

However, Lipton came clean the next day, confirming that the post was a joke and that the flavor would stay.

This reminds me of the many tricks that I have pulled on women every time I wanted their attention– “Ohh, I am leaving the city next week, for good!,", “I am planning to switch my job next month,” and my all-time favorite, “I’ve got cancer and won’t live to see another year”.  Okay, the last one was a bit of an exaggeration but you get my drift!

Lipton, I see what you’re trying to do here!

3. Dare Iced Coffee: Dare Decaf

So, you love coffee but hate staying awake? Well, you’re in luck this April Fool’s Day as Australian beverage brand Dare Iced Coffee has got just what you need.

The brand made a social media post on April Fool’s Day promoting a  "Dare Decaf" variant, suggesting a decaffeinated option for their iced coffee line. So, would you like some?

4. Guardio: SniffGuard

While rapid technological advancements might have eased our lives, there’s also a downside to these developments- we are more prone to getting scammed.

Thankfully, cyber protection company Guardio has launched the world’s first scan-detecting nose, SniffGuard, which has the "olfactory power of a thousand security experts”. Backed by the SniffGPT technology, this $12.99 device sniffs scams as soon as a scammer approaches you and alerts you timely.

Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it is! But while the product might be fake, scams are real! Watch out, fellas!

5. dusk: Man Musk Scented Candle

They say there’s nothing better than the scent of a hard day’s work oozing out from a man’s sweat! If you too love a tradie, Australian specialty home fragrance retailer, dusk, has got you covered.

The brand announced a Man Musk scented candle for April Fool’s Day for those who appreciate the rugged scent of a worker after a hard day's work. The candle combines earthy, musky, and sweaty notes to capture the essence of a man who's been working hard.

Fancy the candle, eh? You can always get yourself one!

Wrapping Up

And that’s a wrap of some of the most awesome April Fool’s Day 2025 campaigns. April Fool’s Day campaigns are a great way for brands to draw the attention of potential customers. The trick lies in treating them to some weird, funny, and sometimes gross stunts.

Do you think you can do that?

Don’t worry, we’ll be back with more of such amazing campaigns that can help you create something similar. Till then, stay tuned!